Wave antenna wireless communication device and method

ABSTRACT

A wireless communication device coupled to a wave antenna that provides greater increased durability and impedance matching. The wave antenna may be in the form of a polygonal, elliptical curve and/or coil shape. The wireless communication device is coupled to the wave antenna to provide wireless communication. The wireless communication device and wave antenna may be placed on objects, goods, or other articles of manufacture that are subject to forces such that the wave antenna may be stretched or compressed during the manufacture and/or use of such object, good or article of manufacture. The wave antenna, because of its curved structure, is capable of stretching and compressing more easily than other structures, reducing the wireless communication device&#39;s susceptibility to damage or breakage that might render the wireless communication device coupled to the wave antenna unable to properly communicate information wirelessly.

RELATED APPLICATION

This patent application is a continuation-in-part application ofapplication Ser. No. 10/228,180 entitled “Wave Antenna WirelessCommunication Device and Method,” filed on Aug. 26, 2002, which is acontinuation-in-part application of application Ser. No. 10/012,206entitled “Wave Antenna Wireless Communication Device and Method,” filedon Oct. 29, 2001. The present application claims the benefit of bothapplication Ser. Nos. 10/228,180 and 10/012,206.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a wave antenna coupled to a wirelesscommunication device so that the wireless communication device canwirelessly communicate information.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Wireless communication devices are commonly used today to wirelesslycommunicate information about goods. For example, transponders may beattached to goods during their manufacture, transport and/ordistribution to provide information, such as the good's identificationnumber, expiration date, date of manufacture or “born on” date, lotnumber, and the like. The transponder allows this information to beobtained unobtrusively using wireless communication without slowing downthe manufacturing, transportation, and/or distribution process.

Some goods involve environmental factors that are critical to theirmanufacture and/or intended operation. An example of such a good is avehicle tire. It may be desirable to place a wireless communicationdevice in a tire so that information regarding the tire, such as atire's identification, pressure, temperature, and other environmentalinformation, can be wirelessly communicated to an interrogation readerduring the tire's manufacture and/or use.

Tire pressure monitoring may be particularly important since thepressure in a tire governs its proper operation and safety in use Forexample, too little pressure in a tire during its use can cause a tireto be damaged by the weight of a vehicle supported by the tire. Too muchpressure can cause a tire to rupture. Tire pressure must be testedduring the manufacturing process to ensure that the tire meets intendeddesign specifications. The tire pressure should also be within a certainpressure limits during use in order to avoid dangerous conditions.Knowledge of the tire pressure during the operation of a vehicle can beused to inform an operator and/or vehicle system that a tire has adangerous pressure condition. The vehicle may indicate a pressurecondition by generating an alarm or warning signal to the operator ofthe vehicle

During the manufacturing process of a tire, the rubber materialcomprising the vehicle tire is violently stretched before taking finalshape. Wireless communication devices placed inside tires during theirmanufacture must be able to withstand this stretching and compressionand still be able to operate properly after the completion of the tire'smanufacture. Since wireless communication devices are typicallyradio-frequency communication devices, an antenna must be coupled to thewireless communication device for communication This antenna andwireless communication device combination may be placed in the inside ofthe tire along its inner wall or inside the rubber of the tire, forexample. This results in stretching and compression of the wirelesscommunication device and its antenna whenever the tire is stretched andcompressed. Often, the antenna is stretched and subsequently damaged orbroken, thereby either disconnecting the wireless communication devicefrom an antenna or changing the length of the antenna, which changes theoperating frequency of the antenna. In either case, the wirelesscommunication device may be unable to communicate properly when theantenna is damaged or broken

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an antennafor a wireless communication device that can withstand a force, such asstretching or compression, and not be susceptible to damage or a break.In this manner, a high level of operability can be achieved withwireless communication devices coupled to antennas for applicationswhere a force is placed on the antenna.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a wave antenna that is coupled to awireless communication device, such as a transponder, to wirelesslycommunicate information. The wave antenna is a conductor. The waveantenna may be shaped in the form of various different types ofcurvatures, including a polygonal shape, elliptical curvature, and acoil. Polygonal shapes include curvatures having three or more sides

The wave antenna is capable of stretching when subjected to a forcewithout being damaged. The wave antenna can also provide improvedimpedance matching capability between the antenna and a wirelesscommunication device because of the reactive interaction betweendifferent sections of the antenna conductor In general, varying thecharacteristics of the conductor wire of the wave antenna, such asdiameter, the angle of the curves or bends, the lengths of the sectionsformed by the curves or bends, the period, phase, and/or amplitude ofthe conductor, and the type of conductor wire, will modify the crosscoupling and, hence, the impedance of the wave antenna.

In a first wave antenna embodiment, a wireless communication device iscoupled to a single conductor wave antenna to form a monopole waveantenna. The wave antenna conductor may be shaped in the form ofpolygonal shape, elliptical curvature, or a coil.

In a second wave antenna embodiment, a wireless communication device iscoupled to two conductor wave antennas to form a dipole wave antenna.The wave antenna conductor may be shaped in the form of polygonal shape,elliptical curvature, or a coil.

In a third wave antenna embodiment, a dipole wave antenna is comprisedout of conductors having different sections having different lengths.The first section is coupled to the wireless communication device andforms a first antenna having a first operating frequency. The secondsection is coupled to the first section and forms a second antennahaving a second operating frequency. The wireless communication deviceis capable of communicating at each of these two frequencies formed bythe first antenna and the second antenna. The wave antenna conductor maybe shaped in the form of polygonal shape, elliptical curvature, or acoil.

In a fourth wave antenna embodiment, a dipole wave antenna is comprisedout of conductive sections having different amplitudes. A first section,having a first amplitude, is coupled to the wireless communicationdevice and forms a first antenna having a first operating frequency. Thesecond section, having a second amplitude different from the amplitudeof the first section, is coupled to the first section to form a secondantenna having a second operating frequency. The wireless communicationdevice is capable of communicating at each of these two frequenciesformed by the first antenna and the second antenna. Each pole of thewave antenna is symmetrical. The wave antenna conductor may be shaped inthe form of polygonal shape, elliptical curvature, or a coil.

In a fifth wave antenna embodiment, an asymmetrical dipole wave antennais comprised out of conductive sections having different amplitudes. Afirst conductor, having a first amplitude, is coupled to the wirelesscommunication device to form one pole of the dipole wave antenna. Thesecond conductor, having a second amplitude different from the amplitudeof the first pole, is coupled to the wireless communication device toform the second pole of the dipole wave antenna. The wave antennaconductor may be shaped in the form of polygonal shape, ellipticalcurvature, or a coil.

In a sixth wave antenna embodiment, an asymmetrical dipole wave antennais comprised out of conductive sections having different lengths. Afirst conductor, having a first length, is coupled to the wirelesscommunication device to form one pole of the dipole wave antenna. Thesecond conductor, having a second length different from the length ofthe first pole, is coupled to the wireless communication device to formthe second pole of the dipole wave antenna. The wave antenna conductormay be shaped in the form of polygonal shape, elliptical curvature, or acoil.

In a seventh wave antenna embodiment, a resonating conductor isadditionally coupled to the wireless communication device to provide asecond antenna operating at a second operating frequency. The resonatingring may also act as a stress relief for force placed on the waveantenna so that such force is not placed on the wireless communicationdevice. The wave antenna conductor may be shaped in the form ofpolygonal shape, elliptical curvature, or a coil.

In another embodiment, the wireless communication device is coupled to awave antenna and is placed inside a tire so that information can bewirelessly communicated from the tire to an interrogation reader. Thewave antenna is capable of stretching and compressing, without beingdamaged, as the tire is stretched and compressed during its manufactureand pressurization during use on a vehicle. The wave antenna conductormay be shaped in the form of polygonal shape, elliptical curvature, or acoil.

In another embodiment, the interrogation reader determines the pressureinside a tire by the response from a wireless communication devicecoupled to a wave antenna placed inside the tire. When the tire and,therefore, the wave antenna stretch to a certain length indicative thatthe tire is at a certain threshold pressure, the length of the antennawill be at the operating frequency of the interrogation reader so thatthe wireless communication device is capable of responding to theinterrogation reader. The wave antenna conductor may be shaped in theform of polygonal shape, elliptical curvature, or a coil.

In another embodiment, a method of manufacture is disclosed on onemethod of manufacturing the wave antenna out of a straight conductor andattaching wireless communication devices to the wave antenna. The uncutstring of wireless communication devices and wave antennas form onecontinuous strip that can be wound on a reel and later unwound, cut andapplied to a good, object, or article of manufacture. The wave antennaconductor may be shaped in the form of polygonal shape, ellipticalcurvature, or a coil

Those skilled in the art will appreciate the scope of the presentinvention and realize additional aspects thereof after reading thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiments inassociation with the accompanying drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part ofthis specification illustrate several aspects of the invention, andtogether with the description serve to explain the principles of theinvention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an interrogation reader and wirelesscommunication device system that may be used with the present invention;

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of a monopole hexagonal-shaped waveantenna coupled to a wireless communication device for wirelesscommunications;

FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram of a dipole hexagonal-shaped wave antennacoupled to a wireless communication device for wireless communications,

FIG. 2C is a schematic diagram of a monopole octagonal-shaped waveantenna coupled to a wireless communication device for wirelesscommunications;

FIG. 2D is a schematic diagram of a dipole octagonal-shaped wave antennacoupled to a wireless communication device for wireless communications,

FIG. 2E is a schematic diagram of a monopole pentagonal-shaped waveantenna coupled to a wireless communication device for wirelesscommunications;

FIG. 2F is a schematic diagram of a dipole pentagonal-shaped waveantenna coupled to a wireless communication device for wirelesscommunications,

FIG. 2G is a schematic diagram of a monopole square-shaped wave antennacoupled to a wireless communication device for wireless communications;

FIG. 2H is a schematic diagram of a dipole square-shaped wave antennacoupled to a wireless communication device for wireless communications,

FIG. 2I is a schematic diagram of a monopole elliptical curve-shapedwave antenna coupled to a wireless communication device for wirelesscommunications;

FIG. 2J is a schematic diagram of a dipole elliptical curve-shaped waveantenna coupled to a wireless communication device for wirelesscommunications;

FIG. 2K is a schematic diagram of a monopole coil-shaped wave antennacoupled to a wireless communication device for wireless communications;

FIG. 2L is a schematic diagram of a dipole coil-shaped wave antennacoupled to a wireless communication device for wireless communications;

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of a dipole hexagonal-shaped wave antennacoupled to a wireless communication device wherein a first portion ofthe hexagonal-shaped wave antenna operates at a first frequency and asecond portion of the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna coupled to the firstportion operates at a second frequency,

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram of a dipole octagonal-shaped wave antennacoupled to a wireless communication device wherein a first portion ofthe octagonal-shaped wave antenna operates at a first frequency and asecond portion of the octagaonal-shaped wave antenna coupled to thefirst portion operates at a second frequency;

FIG. 3C is a schematic diagram of a dipole pentagonal-shaped waveantenna coupled to a wireless communication device wherein a firstportion of the pentagonal shaped wave antenna operates at a firstfrequency and a second portion of the pentagonal-shaped wave antennacoupled to the first portion operates at a second frequency;

FIG. 3D is a schematic diagram of a dipole square-shaped wave antennacoupled to a wireless communication device wherein a first portion ofthe square-shaped wave antenna operates at a first frequency and asecond portion of the square-shaped wave antenna coupled to the firstportion operates at a second frequency;

FIG. 3E is a schematic diagram of a dipole elliptical curve-shaped waveantenna coupled to a wireless communication device wherein a firstportion of the elliptical curve-shaped wave antenna operates at a firstfrequency and a second portion of the elliptical curve-shaped waveantenna coupled to the first portion operates at a second frequency;

FIG. 3F is a schematic diagram of a dipole coil-shaped wave antennacoupled to a wireless communication device wherein a first portion ofthe coil-shaped wave antenna operates at a first frequency and a secondportion of the coil-shaped wave antenna coupled to the first portionoperates at a second frequency;

FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram of a dipole hexagonal-shaped wave antennacoupled to a wireless communication device for wireless communicationswherein each hexagonal-shaped pole conductor comprises two sections eachhaving different amplitudes,

FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram of a dipole hexagonal-shaped wave antennacoupled to a wireless communication device for wireless communicationswherein one hexagonal-shaped pole conductor has an amplitude larger thanthe other hexagonal-shaped pole conductor;

FIG. 4C is a schematic diagram of a dipole hexagonal-shaped wave antennacoupled to a wireless communication device for wireless communicationswherein one hexagonal-shaped pole conductor is longer than the otherhexagonal-shaped pole conductor;

FIG. 4D is a schematic diagram of a dipole octagonal-shaped wave antennacoupled to a wireless communication device for wireless communicationswherein each octagonal-shaped pole conductor comprises two sections eachhaving different amplitudes;

FIG. 4E is a schematic diagram of a dipole octagonal-shaped wave antennacoupled to a wireless communication device for wireless communicationswherein one octagonal-shaped pole conductor has an amplitude larger thanthe other octagonal-shaped pole conductor;

FIG. 4F is a schematic diagram of a dipole octagonal-shaped wave antennacoupled to a wireless communication device for wireless communicationswherein one octagonal-shaped pole conductor is longer than the otheroctagonal-shaped pole conductor;

FIG. 4G is a schematic diagram of a dipole pentagonal-shaped waveantenna coupled to a wireless communication device for wirelesscommunications wherein each pentagonal-shaped pole conductor comprisestwo sections each having different amplitudes;

FIG. 4H is a schematic diagram of a dipole pentagonal-shaped waveantenna coupled to a wireless communication device for wirelesscommunications wherein one pentagonal-shaped pole conductor has anamplitude larger than the other pentagonal-shaped pole conductor;

FIG. 4I is a schematic diagram of a dipole pentagonal-shaped waveantenna coupled to a wireless communication device for wirelesscommunications wherein one pentagonal-shaped pole conductor is longerthan the other pentagonal-shaped pole conductor,

FIG. 4J is a schematic diagram of a dipole square-shaped wave antennacoupled to a wireless communication device for wireless communicationswherein each square shaped pole conductor comprises two sections eachhaving different amplitudes;

FIG. 4K is a schematic diagram of a dipole square-shaped wave antennacoupled to a wireless communication device for wireless communicationswherein one square-shaped pole conductor has an amplitude larger thanthe other square-shaped pole conductor;

FIG. 4L is a schematic diagram of a dipole square-shaped wave antennacoupled to a wireless communication device for wireless communicationswherein one square-shaped pole conductor is longer than the othersquare-shaped pole conductor;

FIG. 4M is a schematic diagram of a dipole elliptical curve-shaped waveantenna coupled to a wireless communication device for wirelesscommunications wherein each elliptical curve-shaped pole conductorcomprises two sections each having different amplitudes;

FIG. 4N is a schematic diagram of a dipole elliptical curve-shaped waveantenna coupled to a wireless communication device for wirelesscommunications wherein one elliptical curve-shaped pole conductor has anamplitude larger than the other elliptical curve-shaped pole conductor,

FIG. 4O is a schematic diagram of a dipole elliptical curve-shaped waveantenna coupled to a wireless communication device for wirelesscommunications wherein one elliptical curve-shaped pole conductor islonger than the other elliptical curve-shaped pole conductor;

FIG. 4P is a schematic diagram of a dipole coil-shaped wave antennacoupled to a wireless communication device for wireless communicationswherein each coil-shaped pole conductor comprises two sections eachhaving different amplitudes;

FIG. 4Q is a schematic diagram of a dipole coil-shaped wave antennacoupled to a wireless communication device for wireless communicationswherein one coil-shaped pole conductor has an amplitude larger than theother coil-shaped pole conductor;

FIG. 4R is a schematic diagram of a dipole coil-shaped wave antennacoupled to a wireless communication device for wireless communicationswherein one coil-shaped pole conductor is longer than the othercoil-shaped pole conductor,

FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of a hexagonal-shaped wave antenna and aring resonator both coupled to a wireless communication device whereinthe hexagonal-shaped wave antenna operates at a first frequency and thering resonator operates at a second frequency;

FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram of the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna anda ring resonator as illustrated in FIG. 5A, except that the ringresonator is additionally mechanically coupled to the hexagonal-shapedwave antenna as a mechanical stress relief;

FIG. 5C is a schematic diagram of an alternative embodiment to FIG. 5B;

FIG. 5D is a schematic diagram of a octagonal-shaped wave antenna and aring resonator both coupled to a wireless communication device whereinthe octagonal-shaped wave antenna operates at a first frequency and thering resonator operates at a second frequency;

FIG. 5E is a schematic diagram of the octagonal-shaped wave antenna anda ring resonator as illustrated in FIG. 5D, except that the ringresonator is additionally mechanically coupled to the octagonal-shapedwave antenna as a mechanical stress relief;

FIG. 5F is a schematic diagram of an alternative embodiment to FIG. 5E;

FIG. 5G is a schematic diagram of a pentagonal-shaped wave antenna and aring resonator both coupled to a wireless communication device whereinthe pentagonal-shaped wave antenna operates at a first frequency and thering resonator operates at a second frequency;

FIG. 5H is a schematic diagram of the pentagonal-shaped wave antenna anda ring resonator as illustrated in FIG. 5G, except that the ringresonator is additionally mechanically coupled to the pentagonal-shapedwave antenna as a mechanical stress relief,

FIG. 5I is a schematic diagram of an alternative embodiment to FIG. 5H;

FIG. 5J is a schematic diagram of a square-shaped wave antenna and aring resonator both coupled to a wireless communication device whereinthe square-shaped wave antenna operates at a first frequency and thering resonator operates at a second frequency;

FIG. 5K is a schematic diagram of the square-shaped wave antenna and aring resonator as illustrated in FIG. 5J, except that the ring resonatoris additionally mechanically coupled to the square-shaped wave antennaas a mechanical stress relief;

FIG. 5L is a schematic diagram of an alternative embodiment to FIG. 5K;

FIG. 5M is a schematic diagram of an elliptical curve-shaped waveantenna and a ring resonator both coupled to a wireless communicationdevice wherein the elliptical curve-shaped wave antenna operates at afirst frequency and the ring resonator operates at a second frequency,

FIG. 5N is a schematic diagram of the elliptical curve-shaped waveantenna and a ring resonator as illustrated in FIG. 5M, except that thering resonator is additionally mechanically coupled to the ellipticalcurve-shaped wave antenna as a mechanical stress relief;

FIG. 5O is a schematic diagram of an alternative embodiment to FIG. 5N;

FIG. 5P is a schematic diagram of a coil-shaped wave antenna and a ringresonator both coupled to a wireless communication device wherein thecoil-shaped wave antenna operates at a first frequency and the ringresonator operates at a second frequency;

FIG. 5Q is a schematic diagram of the coil-shaped wave antenna and aring resonator as illustrated in FIG. 5P, except that the ring resonatoris additionally mechanically coupled to the coil-shaped wave antenna asa mechanical stress relief;

FIG. 5R is a schematic diagram of an alternative embodiment to FIG. 5Q;

FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of ahexagonal-shaped wave antenna and wireless communication device;

FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram of a compressed version of thehexagonal-shaped wave antenna illustrated in FIG. 6A;

FIG. 6C is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of anoctagonal-shaped wave antenna and wireless communication device;

FIG. 6D is a schematic diagram of a compressed version of theoctagonal-shaped wave antenna illustrated in FIG. 6C;

FIG. 6E is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of anpentagonal-shaped wave antenna and wireless communication device,

FIG. 6F is a schematic diagram of a compressed version of thepentagonal-shaped wave antenna illustrated in FIG. 6E;

FIG. 6G is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of an square-shapedwave antenna and wireless communication device,

FIG. 6H is a schematic diagram of a compressed version of thesquare-shaped wave antenna illustrated in FIG. 6G;

FIG. 6I is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of an ellipticalcurve-shaped wave antenna and wireless communication device;

FIG. 6J is a schematic diagram of a compressed version of the ellipticalcurve-shaped wave antenna illustrated in FIG. 6I;

FIG. 6K is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of an coil-shapedwave antenna and wireless communication device;

FIG. 6L is a schematic diagram of a compressed version of thecoil-shaped wave antenna illustrated in FIG. 6K;

FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram of modifications to a curved section ofthe wave antenna to spread the bend angle of the conductive section overa larger linear length of the bend;

FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram of modifications to a section side of thewave antenna to spread the bend angle of the conductive section over alarger linear length of the bend;

FIG. 8A is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication device andwave antenna attached to the inside of a tire for wireless communicationof information about the tire;

FIG. 8B is a schematic diagram of the wireless communication device andwave antenna of FIG. 8A, except that the tire is under pressure and isstretching the wave antenna;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart diagram of a tire pressure detection systemexecuted by an interrogation reader by communicating with a wirelesscommunication device coupled to a wave antenna inside a tire like thatillustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8B,

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a reporting system for informationwirelessly communicated from a tire to an interrogation reader;

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a process of manufacturing a waveantenna and coupling the wave antenna to a wireless communicationdevice, and

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of an inductance tuning short provided bythe manufacturing process illustrated in FIG. 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates to a wave antenna that is coupled to awireless communication device, such as a transponder, to wirelesslycommunicate information. The wave antenna may be a conductor shaped inthe form of a polygonal shape, elliptical curvature, or a coil

This patent application is a continuation-in-part application ofapplication Ser. No. 10/228,180 entitled “Wave Antenna WirelessCommunication Device and Method,” filed on Aug. 26, 2002, which is acontinuation-in-part application of application Ser. No. 10/012,206entitled “Wave Antenna Wireless Communication Device and Method,” filedon Oct. 29, 2001, both of which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entireties. The present application claims the benefit of bothapplication Ser. Nos. 10/228,180 and 10/012,206.

A wave antenna has bends or curves that allow stretching or compressingof the conductor comprising the antenna without being damaged whensubjected to a force

A wave antenna can also provide improved impedance matching capabilitybetween the antenna and a wireless communication device because of thereactive interaction between different sections of the antennaconductor. In general, varying the characteristics of the conductor wireof the wave antenna, such as the diameter, the angle of the bends orcurves, the lengths of the sections formed by the bends or curves, andthe type of conductor wire, will modify the cross coupling and, hence,the impedance of the wave antenna.

Before discussing the particular aspects and applications of the waveantenna as illustrated in FIGS. 2-12 of this application, a wirelesscommunication system that may be used with the present invention isdiscussed below.

FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless communication device and communicationsystem that may be used with the present invention. The wirelesscommunication device 10 is capable of communicating informationwirelessly and may include a control system 12, communicationelectronics 14, and memory 16. The wireless communication device 10 mayalso be known as a radio-frequency identification device (RFID). Thecommunication electronics 14 is coupled to an antenna 17 for wirelesslycommunicating information in radio-frequency signals. The communicationelectronics 14 is capable of receiving modulated radio-frequency signalsthrough the antenna 17 and demodulating these signals into informationpassed to the control system 12. The antenna 17 may be any type ofantenna, including but not limited to a pole or slot antenna. Theantenna 17 may be internal or external to the wireless communicationdevice 10.

The control system 12 may be any type of circuitry or processor thatreceives and processes information received by the communicationelectronics 14, including a micro-controller or microprocessor. Thewireless communication device 10 may also contain a memory 16 forstorage of information. Such information may be any type of informationabout goods, objects, or articles of manufacture, including but notlimited to identification, tracking, environmental information, such aspressure and temperature, and other pertinent information. The memory 16may be electronic memory, such as random access memory (RAM), read-onlymemory (ROM), flash memory, diode, etc., or the memory 16 may bemechanical memory, such as a switch, dipswitch, etc.

The control system 12 may also be coupled to sensors that senseenvironmental information concerning the wireless communication device10. For instance, the control system 12 may be coupled to a pressuresensor 18 to sense the pressure on the wireless communication device 10and/or its surroundings. The control system 12 may also be coupled to atemperature sensor 19 to sense the temperature of the wirelesscommunication device 10 or the ambient temperature around the wirelesscommunication device 10. More information on different types of pressuresensors 18 that can be used to couple to the control system aredisclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,299,349 and 6,272,936, entitled “Pressureand temperature sensor” and “Pressure sensor,” respectively, both ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The temperature sensor 19 may be contained within the wirelesscommunication device 10, or external to the wireless communicationdevice 10. The temperature sensor 19 may be any variety of temperaturesensing elements, such as a thermistor or chemical device. One suchtemperature sensor 19 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,959,524, entitled“Temperature sensor,” incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.The temperature sensor 19 may also be incorporated into the wirelesscommunication device 10 or its control system 12, like that described inU.S. Pat. No. 5,961,215, entitled “Temperature sensor integral withmicroprocessor and methods of using same,” incorporated herein byreference in its entirety. However, note that the present invention isnot limited to any particular type of temperature sensor 19.

Some wireless communication devices 10 are termed “active” devices inthat they receive and transmit data using their own energy sourcecoupled to the wireless communication device 10. A wirelesscommunication device 10 may use a battery for power as described in U.S.Pat. No. 6,130,602 entitled “Radio frequency data communicationsdevice,” or may use other forms of energy, such as a capacitor asdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,603, entitled “Implantable biosensingtransponder.” Both of the preceding patents are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety

Other wireless communication devices 10 are termed “passive” devicesmeaning that they do not actively transmit and therefore may not includetheir own energy source for power. One type of passive wirelesscommunication device 10 is known as a “transponder.” A transpondereffectively transmits information by reflecting back a received signalfrom an external communication device, such as an interrogation reader.An example of a transponder is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,280,entitled “Frequency diversity transponder arrangement,” incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety. Another example of a transponder isdescribed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/678,271,entitled “Wireless communication device and method,” incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety.

FIG. 1 depicts communication between a wireless communication device 10and an interrogation reader 20. The interrogation reader 20 may includea control system 22, an interrogation communication electronics 24,memory 26, and an interrogation antenna 28. The interrogation antenna 28may be any type of antenna, including a pole antenna or a slot antenna.The interrogation reader 20 may also contain its own internal energysource 30, or the interrogation reader 20 may be powered through anexternal power source. The energy source 30 may include batteries, acapacitor, solar cell or other medium that contains energy. The energysource 30 may also be rechargeable. A timer 23 may also be coupled tothe control system 22 for performing tasks that require timingoperations.

The interrogation reader 20 communicates with the wireless communicationdevice 10 by emitting an electronic signal 32 modulated by theinterrogation communication electronics 24 through the interrogationantenna 28. The interrogation antenna 28 may be any type of antenna thatcan radiate a signal 32 through a field 34 so that a reception device,such as a wireless communication device 10, can receive such signal 32through its own antenna 17. The field 34 may be electromagnetic,magnetic, or electric. The signal 32 may be a message containinginformation and/or a specific request for the wireless communicationdevice 10 to perform a task or communicate back information. When theantenna 17 is in the presence of the field 34 emitted by theinterrogation reader 20, the communication electronics 14 are energizedby the energy in the signal 32, thereby energizing the wirelesscommunication device 10. The wireless communication device 10 remainsenergized so long as its antenna 17 is in the field 34 of theinterrogation reader 20. The communication electronics 14 demodulatesthe signal 32 and sends the message containing information and/orrequest to the control system 12 for appropriate actions.

It is readily understood to one of ordinary skill in the art that thereare many other types of wireless communication devices and communicationtechniques than those described herein, and the present invention is notlimited to a particular type of wireless communication device, techniqueor method.

FIG. 2A illustrates a first embodiment of a wave antenna 17 coupled to awireless communication device 10 for wireless communication. Thisembodiment illustrates a monopole hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17. Ahexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 is one form of a polygonal-shaped waveantenna. A polygonal-shaped wave antenna is a plane figure with a numberof sides should the antenna not reverse its direction to form arepeating pattern. In a regular polygon all the sides and internalangles are equal. For such a polygon with n sides, the interior angle is(180-360/n) degrees and the sum of the interior angles is (180n-360)degrees. In this present invention, the polygonal shapes described maybe normal or not normal Examples of polygonal-shapes are a square, apentagon, a hexagon, a heptagon, an octagon, a nonagon, and a decagon,which are 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10-sided shapes respectively. In thepresent invention, the polygonal-shaped wave antennas are open such thatapproximately one half of the figure is above the x-axis center line ofthe antenna 17, and the other half is included below the x-axis centerline of the antenna 17 so that the shape repeats in opposing fashion sothat the antenna is not shorted. If the lower and upper portions of thewave antenna were superimposed on each other, a polygonal-shape figurewould result.

The hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 is formed by a conducting material,such as a wire or foil for example, that is in the shape of a hexagon.The hexagonal-shaped sections form a series of peaks and valleys in theconductor. Any type of material can be used to form the hexagonal-shapedwave antenna 17 so long as the material can conduct electrical energy,including but not limited to copper, brass, steel, zinc-plated steel,spring brass, and brass coated spring steel

The monopole hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 illustrated in FIG. 2A iscoupled, by either a direct or reactive coupling, to an input port (notshown) on the wireless communication device 10 to provide an antenna 17for wireless communications. Since the wireless communication device 10contains another input port that is coupled to the monopolehexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17, this additional input port isgrounded.

A wave antenna 17 may be particularly advantageous to use with awireless communication device 10 in lieu of a straight antenna. Oneadvantage of a wave antenna 17 is that it is tolerant to stretchingwithout substantial risk of damage or breakage to the conductor. Certaintypes of goods, objects, or articles of manufacture may encounter aforce, such as stretching or compression, during their manufactureand/or normal use. If a wireless communication device 10 uses a straightconductor as antenna 17 and is attached to goods, objects, or articlesof manufacture that are subjected to a force during their manufacture oruse, the antenna 17 may be damaged or broken when the good, object orarticle of manufacture is subjected to such force. If the antenna 17 isdamaged or broken, this may cause the wireless communication device 10to be incapable of wireless communication since a change in the lengthor shape of the conductor in the antenna 17 may change the operatingfrequency of the antenna 17.

A wave antenna 17, because of its bent sections 21, also causes thefield emitted by the conductors in sections 21 to capacitively couple toother sections 21 of the wave antenna 17. This results in improvedimpedance matching with the wireless communication device 10 to providegreater and more efficient energy transfer between the wirelesscommunication device 10 and the wave antenna 17. As is well known to oneof ordinary skill in the art, the most efficient energy transfer occursbetween a wireless communication device 10 and an antenna 17 when theimpedance of the antenna 17 is the complex conjugate of the impedance ofthe wireless communication device 10

The impedance of a straight conductor antenna 17 is dependant on thetype, size, and shape of the conductor The length of the antenna 17 isthe primary variable that determines the operating frequency of theantenna 17. A wave antenna 17 can be varied in other ways not possiblein a straight conductor antenna. In a wave antenna 17, other variablesexist in the design of the antenna in addition to the type, size, shapeand length of the conductor. The impedance of a wave antenna 17 can alsobe varied by varying the length of the individual sections 21 of theconductor making up the wave antenna 17, the angle between theseindividual sections 21, and the phase, period, and amplitude of thesections 21, in addition to the traditional variables available instraight conductor antennas. These additional variables available inwave antennas 17 can be varied while maintaining the overall length ofthe conductor so that the operating frequency of the wave antenna 17 ismaintained. In this embodiment, the lengths of the individual sections21 and the angles between the individual sections 21 are the same;however, they do not have to be.

It may be beneficial to selectively heat parts of the conductive wirethat forms the wave antenna 17 to reduce the stress in the wave antenna17 to prevent breakage. This could be done in a number of ways includingbut not limited to gas jets, clamps, or conductive clamps passing a highcurrent through areas of the wave antenna 17.

In summary, a wave antenna 17 provides the ability to alter and selectadditional variables not possible in straight conductor antennas 17 thataffect the impedance of the antenna 17, thereby creating a greaterlikelihood that the wave antenna's 17 impedance can be designed to moreclosely match the impedance of the wireless communication device 10. Ofcourse, as is well known by one of ordinary skill in the art, the typeof materials attached to the wave antenna 17 and the materials'dielectric properties also vary the impedance and operating frequency ofthe wave antenna 17. These additional variables should also be takeninto account in the final design of the wave antenna 17. The reactivecross-coupling that occurs between different sections 21 of the waveantenna 17 also contribute to greater impedance matching capability ofthe wave antenna 17 to a wireless communication device 10. Moreinformation on impedance matching between a wireless communicationdevice 10 and an antenna 17 for efficient transfer of energy isdisclosed in U.S. pending patent application Ser. No. 09/536,334,entitled “Remote communication using slot antenna,” incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety.

FIG. 2B illustrates a hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 similar to thatillustrated in FIG. 2A; however, the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna inFIG. 2B is a dipole hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17. Two conductors17A, 17B are coupled to the wireless communication device 10 to providewireless communications. In this embodiment, the length of theconductors 17A, 17B that form the dipole hexagonal-shaped wave antenna17 are each 84 millimeters in length. The dipole hexagonal-shaped waveantenna 17 operates at a frequency of 915 MHz. In this embodiment, thelengths of the individual sections 21 and the angles between theindividual sections 21 that make up the dipole hexagonal-shaped waveantenna 17 are the same; however, they do not have to be.

FIG. 2C illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 2A, except thatthe wave antenna 17 comprises octagonal-shaped sections 21. All otheraspects of the octagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 embodiment discussedabove and illustrated in FIG. 2A are equally applicable for thisembodiment.

FIG. 2D illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 2B, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that areoctagonal-shaped. All other aspects of the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna17 embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 2B are equallyapplicable for this embodiment

FIG. 2E illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 2A, except thatthe wave antenna 17 comprises pentagonal-shaped sections 21. All otheraspects for the pentagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 embodiment discussedabove and illustrated in FIG. 2A are equally applicable for thisembodiment

FIG. 2F illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 2B, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that arepentagonal-shaped. All other aspects for the pentagonal-shaped waveantenna 17 embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 2B areequally applicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 2G illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 2A, except thatthe wave antenna 17 comprises square-shaped sections 21. All otheraspects for the square-shaped wave antenna 17 embodiment discussed aboveand illustrated in FIG. 2A are equally applicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 2H illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 2B, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are square-shaped.All other aspects for the square-shaped wave antenna 17 embodimentdiscussed above and illustrated in FIG. 2B are equally applicable forthis embodiment.

FIG. 2I illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 2A, except thatthe wave antenna 17 comprises elliptical-curved sections 21. The waveantenna 17 is comprised of a series of alternating elliptical curves.The elliptical curves reverse in direction in an alternating andperiodic pattern The elliptical curves may be irregular curves meaningthat they are uniform in angle

FIG. 2J illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 2I, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is a dipole antenna. All other aspects for theelliptical curve-shaped wave antenna 17 embodiment discussed above andillustrated in FIG. 2I are equally applicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 2K illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 2A, except thatthe wave antenna 17 comprises coil-shaped sections 211. The coil shapeis a series of curves in the wave antenna 17 that form a commonly knowncoil shape. An example of a coil shape is a spring. The coil-shaped waveantenna 17 may be constructed so that no two different sections 21 ofthe antenna 17 touch each other to prevent shorting even in normalcontraction situations. Or the coil-shaped wave antenna 17 may bedesigned so that different section 21 short together under normalconditions and/or contraction depending on the operating characteristicsdesired

FIG. 2L illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 2K, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is a dipole antenna. All other aspects for theelliptical curve-shaped wave antenna 17 embodiment discussed above andillustrated in FIG. 2I are equally applicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 3A illustrates another embodiment of a hexagonal-shaped waveantenna 17 where the lengths of the individual sections 21 and the anglebetween the individual sections 21 are not the same. The hexagonal-shapeof the wave antenna 17 is the same shape as illustrated and described inFIGS. 2A and 2B above.

Two conductors are coupled to the wireless communication device 10 tocreate a dipole hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17. The first conductor iscomprised out of two sections 21A, 21C, each having a different numberof sections 21 and lengths. The two sections 21A, 21C are alsosymmetrically contained in the second conductor 21B, 21D. This causesthe hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 to act as a dipole antenna thatresonates and receives signals at two different operating frequencies sothat the wireless communication device 10 is capable of communicating attwo different frequencies.

The first symmetrical sections 21A, 21B are 30.6 millimeters or λ/4 inlength and are coupled to the wireless communication device 10 so thatthe hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 is capable of receiving 2.45 GHzsignals. The second symmetrical sections 21C, 21D are coupled to thefirst sections 21A, 21B, respectively, to form a second dipole antennafor receiving signals at a second frequency. In this embodiment, thesecond sections 21C, 21D are 70 millimeters in length and are coupled tothe first sections 21A, 21B, respectively, to form lengths that aredesigned to receive 915 MHz signals. Also note that bends in theconductor in the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 are not constant.

FIG. 3B illustrates another embodiment similar to FIG. 3A, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is octagonal-shaped. The octagonal-shape of the waveantenna 17 is the same shape as illustrated and described in FIGS. 2Cand 2D above. All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 3A are equallyapplicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 3C illustrates another embodiment similar to FIG. 3A, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is pentagonal-shaped. The pentagonal-shape of thewave antenna 17 is the same shape as illustrated and described in FIGS.2E and 2F above. All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna17 embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 3A are equallyapplicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 3D illustrates another embodiment similar to FIG. 3A, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is square-shaped, The square-shape of the waveantenna 17 is the same shape as illustrated and described in FIGS. 2Gand 2H above. All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 3A are equallyapplicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 3E illustrates another embodiment similar to FIG. 3A, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is elliptical curve-shaped. The ellipticalcurve-shape of the wave antenna 17 is the same shape as illustrated anddescribed in FIGS. 2I and 2J above. All other aspects for thehexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 embodiment discussed above andillustrated in FIG. 3A are equally applicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 3F illustrates another embodiment similar to FIG. 3A, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is coil-shaped. The coil-shape of the wave antenna17 is the same shape as illustrated and described in FIGS. 2K and 2Labove. All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 3A are equallyapplicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 4A illustrates another embodiment of a hexagonal-shaped waveantenna 17 where the amplitudes of the individual sections 21 that formthe hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 are not the same. Thehexagonal-shape of the wave antenna 17 is the same shape as illustratedand described in FIGS. 2A and 2B above.

Two conductors are coupled to the wireless communication device 10 tocreate a dipole hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17. The first conductor iscomprised out of two sections 21A, 21C, each having a different numberof sections 21 and different amplitudes. The two sections 21A, 21C arealso symmetrically contained in the second conductor 21B, 21D. Thiscauses the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 to act as a dipole antennathat resonates and receives signals at two different operatingfrequencies so that the wireless communication device 10 is capable ofcommunicating at two different frequencies.

FIG. 4B illustrates another embodiment of an asymmetricalhexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 where the amplitude of a first poleantenna 17A of the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 has a differentamplitude than the second pole antenna 17B of the hexagonal-shaped waveantenna 17. More information on asymmetrical pole antennas is disclosedon co-pending patent application Ser. No. 09/678,271, entitled “WirelessCommunication Device and Method,” assigned to the same assignee as thepresent invention, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIG. 4C illustrates another embodiment of an asymmetricalhexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 where the length of a first poleantenna 17A of the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 is of a differentlength than the second pole antenna 17B of the hexagonal-shaped waveantenna 17.

Note that the embodiments of FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C may be combined tocreate an asymmetrical hexagonal-shaped dipole wave antenna 17 whereinthe pole antennas 17A, 17B contain different lengths and differentamplitudes, including different amplitudes within different sections 21,of a pole antenna 17A, 17B.

FIG. 4D illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 4A, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that areoctagonal-shaped like the wave antenna 17 illustrated in FIGS. 2C and 2Dand described above. All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped waveantenna 17 embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 4A areequally applicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 4E illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 4B, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that areoctogonal-shaped like the wave antenna 17 illustrated in FIGS. 2C and 2Dand described above. All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped waveantenna 17 embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 4B areequally applicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 4F illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 4C, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that areoctagonal-circle shaped like the wave antenna 17 illustrated in FIGS. 2Cand 2I) and described above. All other aspects for the hexagonal-shapedwave antenna 17 embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 4Care equally applicable for this embodiment.

Note that the embodiments of FIGS. 4D, 4E, and 4F may be combined tocreate an asymmetrical octagonal-shaped dipole wave antenna 17 whereinthe pole antennas 17A, 17B contain different lengths and differentamplitudes, including different amplitudes within different sections 21,of a pole antenna 17A, 17B

FIG. 4G illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 4A, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that arepentagonal-shaped like the wave antenna 17 illustrated in FIGS. 2E and2F and described above. All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped waveantenna 17 embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 4A areequally applicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 4H illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 4B, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that arepentagonal-shaped like the wave antenna 17 illustrated in FIGS. 2E and2F and described above. All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped waveantenna 17 embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 4B areequally applicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 4I illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 4C, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that arepentagonal-shaped like the wave antenna 17 illustrated in FIGS. 2E and2F and described above All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped waveantenna 17 embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 4C areequally applicable for this embodiment.

Note that the embodiments of FIGS. 4G, 4H, and 4I may be combined tocreate an asymmetrical pentagonal-shaped dipole wave antenna 17 whereinthe pole antennas 17A, 17B contain different lengths and differentamplitudes, including different amplitudes within different sections 21,of a pole antenna 17A, 17B.

FIG. 4J illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 4A, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are square-shapedlike the wave antenna 17 illustrated in FIGS. 2G and 2H and describedabove. All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 4A are equallyapplicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 4K illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 4B, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are square-shapedlike the wave antenna 17 illustrated in FIGS. 2G and 2H and describedabove. All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 4B are equallyapplicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 4L illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 4C, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are square-shapedlike the wave antenna 17 illustrated in FIGS. 2G and 2H and describedabove. All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 4C are equallyapplicable for this embodiment

Note that the embodiments of FIGS. 4J, 4K, and 4L may be combined tocreate an asymmetrical square-shaped dipole wave antenna 17 wherein thepole antennas 17A, 17B contain different lengths and differentamplitudes, including different amplitudes within different sections 21,of a pole antenna 17A, 17B.

FIG. 4M illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 4A, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are ellipticalcurve-shaped like the wave antenna 17 illustrated in FIGS. 2I and 2J anddescribed above. All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna17 embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 4A are equallyapplicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 4N illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 4B, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are ellipticalcurve-shaped like the wave antenna 17 illustrated in FIGS. 2I and 2J anddescribed above. All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna17 embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 4B are equallyapplicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 4O illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 4C except that thewave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are ellipticalcurve-shaped like the wave antenna 17 illustrated in FIGS. 2I and 2J anddescribed above. All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna17 embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 4C are equallyapplicable for this embodiment.

Note that the embodiments of FIGS. 4M 4N, and 4O may be combined tocreate an asymmetrical elliptical curve-shaped dipole wave antenna 17wherein the pole antennas 17A 17B contain different lengths anddifferent amplitudes, including different amplitudes within differentsections 21 of a pole antenna 17A, 17B

FIG. 4P illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 4A, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are coil-shapedlike the wave antenna 17 illustrated in FIGS. 2K and 21 and describedabove. All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 4A are equallyapplicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 4Q illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 4B, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are coil-shapedlike the wave antenna 17 illustrated in FIGS. 2K and 2L and describedabove. All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 4B are equallyapplicable for this embodiment

FIG. 4R illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 4C, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are coil-shapedlike the wave antenna 17 illustrated in FIGS. 2K and 2L and describedabove All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 4C are equallyapplicable for this embodiment

Note that the embodiments of FIGS. 4P, 4O, and 4R may be combined tocreate an asymmetrical coil-shaped dipole wave antenna 17 wherein thepole antennas 17A, 17B contain different lengths and differentamplitudes, including different amplitudes within different sections 21,of a pole antenna 17A, 17B.

FIG. 5A illustrates another embodiment of the hexagonal-shaped waveantenna 17 coupled to the wireless communication device 10 wherein thewireless communication device 10 is configured to receive signals at twodifferent frequencies. A hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 similar thehexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B iscoupled to the wireless communication device 10 to form a dipolehexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17. A resonating ring 40 is alsocapacitively coupled to the wireless communication device 10 to providea second antenna 17 that operates at a second and different frequencyfrom the operating frequency of the dipole hexagonal-shaped wave antenna17. The resonating ring 40 may be constructed out of any type ofmaterial so long as the material is conductive.

This embodiment may be particularly advantageous if it is necessary forthe wireless communication device 10 to be capable of wirelesslycommunicating regardless of the force, such as stretching orcompression, exerted on the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17. Theresonating ring 40 is designed to remain in its original shaperegardless of the application of any force that may be placed on thewireless communication device 10 or a good, object, or article ofmanufacture that contains the wireless communication device 10.Depending on the force exerted on the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17or a good, object or article of manufacture that contains thehexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 and wireless communication device 10,the length of the hexagonal shaped wave antenna 17 may change, therebychanging the operating frequency of the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna17. The new operating frequency of the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17may be sufficiently different from the normal operating frequency suchthat hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 and the wireless communicationdevice 10 could not receive and/or demodulate signals sent by theinterrogation reader 20. The resonating ring 40 is capable of receivingsignals 32 regardless of the state of the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna17

FIG. 5B also illustrates an embodiment of the present inventionemploying a dipole hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 that operates at 915MHz and a resonating ring 40 that operates at 2.45 GHz. The dipolehexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 and the resonating ring 40 are bothcoupled to the wireless communication device 10 to allow the wirelesscommunication device 10 to operate at two different frequencies.However, in this embodiment, the conductors of the dipolehexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 are looped around the resonating ring40 at a first inductive turn 42A and a second inductive turn 42B. Inthis manner, any force placed on the dipole hexagonal-shaped waveantenna 17 will place such force on the resonating ring 40 instead ofthe wireless communication device 10.

This embodiment may be advantageous in cases where a force placed on thedipole hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 without providing a reliefmechanism other than the wireless communication device 10 itself wouldpossibly cause the dipole hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 to disconnectfrom the wireless communication device 10, thus causing the wirelesscommunication device 10 to be unable to wirelessly communicate. Theresonating ring 40 may be constructed out of a stronger material thanthe connecting point between the dipole hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17and the wireless communication device 10, thereby providing the abilityto absorb any force placed on the dipole hexagonal-shaped wave antenna17 without damaging the resonating ring 40. This embodiment may also beparticularly advantageous if the wireless communication device 10 isplaced on a good, object or article of manufacture that undergoes forceduring its manufacture or use, such as a rubber tire, for example.

FIG. 5C illustrates another embodiment similar to those illustrated inFIGS. 5A and 5B. However, the resonating ring 40 is directly coupled tothe wireless communication device 10, and the dipole hexagonal-shapedwave antenna 17 is directly coupled to the resonating ring 10. A firstand second conducting attachments 44A, 44B are used to couple theresonating ring 40 to the wireless communication device 10. A forceexerted on the dipole hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 is exerted on andabsorbed by the resonating ring 40 rather than wireless communicationdevice 10 so that the wireless communication device 10 is not damaged.

FIG. 5D illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 5A, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that areoctagonal-shaped like that illustrated in FIGS. 2C and 2D and describedabove. All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 5A are equallyapplicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 5E illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 5B, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that areoctogonal-shaped like that illustrated in FIGS. 2C and 2D and describedabove. All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 5B are equallyapplicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 5F illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 5C, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that areoctagonal-shaped liked that illustrated in FIGS. 2C and 2D and describedabove. All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 5C are equallyapplicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 5G illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 5A, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that arepentagonal-shaped like that illustrated in FIGS. 2E and 2F and describedabove. All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 5A are equallyapplicable for this embodiment

FIG. 5H illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 5B, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that arepentagonal-shaped that illustrated in FIGS. 2E and 2F and describedabove. All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 5B are equallyapplicable for this embodiment

FIG. 5I illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 5C, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that arepentagonal-shaped liked that illustrated in FIGS. 2E and 2F anddescribed above. All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna17 embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 5C are equallyapplicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 5J illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 5A, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are square-shapedlike that illustrated in FIGS. 2G and 2H and described above. All otheraspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 embodiment discussedabove and illustrated in FIG. 5A are equally applicable for thisembodiment

FIG. 5K illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 5B, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are square-shapedthat illustrated in FIGS. 2G and 2H and described above. All otheraspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 embodiment discussedabove and illustrated in FIG. 5B are equally applicable for thisembodiment.

FIG. 5L illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 5C, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are square-shapedliked that illustrated in FIGS. 2G and 2H and described above. All otheraspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 embodiment discussedabove and illustrated in FIG. 5C are equally applicable for thisembodiment.

FIG. 5M illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 5A, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are ellipticalcurve-shaped like that illustrated in FIGS. 2I and 2J and describedabove. All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 5A are equallyapplicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 5N illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 5B, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are ellipticalcurve-shaped that illustrated in FIGS. 2I and 2J and described above.All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 embodimentdiscussed above and illustrated in FIG. 5B are equally applicable forthis embodiment.

FIG. 5O illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 5C, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are ellipticalcurve shaped liked that illustrated in FIGS. 2I and 2J and describedabove. All other aspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 5C are equallyapplicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 5P illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 5A, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are coil-shapedlike that illustrated in FIGS. 2K and 2L and described above. All otheraspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 embodiment discussedabove and illustrated in FIG. 5A are equally applicable for thisembodiment.

FIG. 5Q illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 5B, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are coil-shapedthat illustrated in FIGS. 2K and 2L and described above. All otheraspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 embodiment discussedabove and illustrated in FIG. 5B are equally applicable for thisembodiment.

FIG. 5R illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 5C, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are coil-shapedliked that illustrated in FIGS. 2K and 2L and described above. All otheraspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 embodiment discussedabove and illustrated in FIG. 5C are equally applicable for thisembodiment.

FIG. 6A illustrates another embodiment of the hexagonal-shaped waveantenna 17 like that illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B that illustratessections 21 close to each other. The coupling between the individualelements in the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 will be strong due tothe proximity. Therefore, a small change in stretching of thehexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 will have a large effect on theoperating frequency of the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17. Since thechange in the operating frequency will be great, it will be easier for asmall stretching of the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 to change theoperating frequency of the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17.

FIG. 6B illustrates the same hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 andwireless communication device 10 illustrated in FIG. 6A, however, thehexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 is not being stretched. When thishexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 is not being stretched, the sections 21in the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 touch each other to effectivelyact as a regular dipole antenna without angled sections 21. In thisembodiment, each pole 17A, 17B of the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17in its normal form is 30.6 millimeters long and has an operatingfrequency of 2.45 GHz such that the wireless communication device 10 iscapable of responding to a frequency of 2.45 GHz.

FIG. 6C illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 6A, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that areoctagonal-shaped like that illustrated in FIGS. 2C and 2D. All otheraspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 embodiment discussedabove and illustrated in FIG. 6A are equally applicable for thisembodiment.

FIG. 6D illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 6B, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that areoctagonal-shaped like that illustrated in FIGS. 2C and 2D. All otheraspects for the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 embodiment discussedabove and illustrated in FIG. 6B are equally applicable for thisembodiment

FIG. 6E illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 6A except that thewave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are pentagonal-shapedlike that illustrated in FIGS. 2E and 2F. All other aspects for thehexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 embodiment discussed above andillustrated in FIG. 6A are equally applicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 6F illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 6B, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are pentagonalshaped like that illustrated in FIGS. 2E and 2F. All other aspects forthe hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 embodiment discussed above andillustrated in FIG. 6B are equally applicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 6G illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 6A, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are square-shapedlike that illustrated in FIGS. 2G and 2H. All other aspects for thesquare-shaped wave antenna 17 embodiment discussed above and illustratedin FIG. 6A are equally applicable for this embodiment

FIG. 6H illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 6B, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are square-shapedlike that illustrated in FIGS. 2G and 2H. All other aspects for thehexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 embodiment discussed above andillustrated in FIG. 6B are equally applicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 6I illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 6A, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are ellipticalcurve-shaped like that illustrated in FIGS. 2I and 2J. All other aspectsfor the square-shaped wave antenna 17 embodiment discussed above andillustrated in FIG. 6A are equally applicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 6J illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 6B, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are ellipticalcurve-shaped like that illustrated in FIGS. 2I and 2J. All other aspectsfor the hexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 embodiment discussed above andillustrated in FIG. 6B are equally applicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 6K illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 6A, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are coil-shapedlike that illustrated in FIGS. 2K and 2L. All other aspects for thesquare-shaped wave antenna 17 embodiment discussed above and illustratedin FIG. 6A are equally applicable for this embodiment

FIG. 6L illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 6B, except thatthe wave antenna 17 is comprised of sections 21 that are coil-shapedlike that illustrated in FIGS. 2K and 2L. All other aspects for thehexagonal-shaped wave antenna 17 embodiment discussed above andillustrated in FIG. 6B are equally applicable for this embodiment.

FIG. 7A illustrates an alternative embodiment of the conductive section21 of the wave antenna 17 wherein the width of the section 21 isdynamically altered along the length of the shape of the section 21.This embodiment is useful for the polygonal-shaped wave antennasdiscussed above.

FIG. 7B illustrates an alternative embodiment of FIG. 7A that is aconductive section 21 of the wave antenna 17 useful for a curve-shapedwave antenna 17, such as the elliptical-curve or coil shaped waveantennas 17 discussed above. This embodiment spreads the bending effectalong the conductive section 21 so that the wave antenna 17 is lesssusceptible to breaking, just as the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7A.The discussion above related to FIG. 7A is equally applicable for theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 7B

FIG. 8A illustrates one type of article of manufacture that undergoesforce during its manufacture and use and that may include a wirelesscommunication device 10 and wave antenna 17 like that illustrated inFIGS. 6A-6L, or any of the previously discussed wave antennas 17. Thisembodiment includes a rubber tire 50 well known in the prior art that isused on transportation vehicles. The tire 50 is designed to bepressurized with air when mounted on a vehicle wheel forming a sealbetween the wheel and the tire 50. The tire 50 is comprised of a treadsurface 52 that has a certain defined thickness 53. The tread surface 52has a left outer side 54, a right outer side 56 and an orifice 58 in thecenter where the tire 50 is designed to fit on a wheel. The left outerside 54 and right outer side 56 are curved downward at anglessubstantially perpendicular to the plane of the tread surface 52 to forma left outer wall 60 and a right outer wall 62. When the left outer wall60 and right outer wall 62 are formed, a left inner wall 64 and a rightinner wall (not shown) on the inside of right outer wall 62 are alsoformed as well. Additionally, depending on the type of tire 50, a steelbelt 68 may also be included inside the rubber of the tire 50 under thesurface of the tread surface 52 for increased performance and life. Moreinformation on the construction and design of a typical tire 50 isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,554,242, entitled “Method for making amulti-component tire,” incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In this embodiment, a wireless communication device 10 and dipole waveantenna 17 are attached on the inner surface of the tire 50 on the innerside of the tread surface 52. During the manufacturing of a tire 50, therubber in the tire 50 undergoes a lamination process whereby the tire 50may be stretched up to approximately 16 times its normal size and thenshrunk back down to the normal dimensions of a wheel. If a wirelesscommunication device 10 is placed inside the tire 50 during themanufacturing process, the wireless communication device 10 and antenna17 must be able to withstand the stretching and shrinking that a tire 50undergoes without being damaged. The wave antenna 17 of the presentinvention is particularly suited for this application since the waveantenna 17 can stretch and compress without damaging the conductor ofthe wave antenna 17.

Also, a tire 50 is inflated with a gas, such as air, to a pressureduring its normal operation. If the wireless communication device 10 andantenna 17 are placed inside the tread surface 52 or inside the tire 50,the wireless communication device 10 and antenna 17 will stretch andcompress depending on the pressure level in the tire 50. The morepressure contained in the tire 50, the more the tire 50 will stretch.Therefore, any wireless communication device 10 and antenna 17 that iscontained inside the tire 50 or inside the rubber of the tire 50 must beable to withstand this stretching without being damaged and/or affectingthe proper operation of the wireless communication device 10.

FIG. 8B illustrates the same tire illustrated in FIG. 8A. However, inthis embodiment, the tire 50 is under a pressure and has stretched thedipole wave antenna 17. Because the dipole wave antenna 17 is capable ofstretching without being damaged or broken, the dipole wave antenna 17is not damaged and does not break when the tire 50 is stretched whensubjected to a pressure. Note that the wave antenna 17 placed inside thetire 50 could also be a monopole wave antenna 17, as illustrated inFIGS. 2A, 2C, 2E, 2G, 2I, and 2K or any other variation of the waveantenna 17, including the wave antennas 17 illustrated in FIGS. 2A-6L.Also, note that the wireless communication device 10 and wave antenna 17could be provided anywhere on the inside of the tire 50, includinginside the thickness 53 of the tread surface 52, the left inner wall 64or the right inner wall (not shown) on the inside of right outer wall62.

At a given frequency, the length of the wave antenna 17 for optimumcoupling is affected by the electrical properties of the materialsurrounding, and in contact with, the conductive portions of the antenna17. Since the rubber of the tire 50 may contain large amounts of “carbonblack,” a relatively conductive material, an insulating material havingthe necessary electrical properties, may be required to encapsulate themetal of the antenna 17 with a non-conductive coating (not shown) toinsulate it from the rubber of the tire 50. In other cases the length ofthe antenna 17 elements must be tuned in length to match the electricalproperties of the surrounding material, as is well known issue withantennas.

Note that the wave antenna 17 discussed above and illustrated in FIGS.8A and 8B may be any of the shapes discussed above and illustrated inFIGS. 2A-6L, including polygonal, elliptical curve and coil-shaped.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart process wherein the interrogation reader20 is designed to communicate with the wireless communication device 10and wave antenna 17 to determine when the pressure of the tire 50 hasreached a certain designated threshold pressure. Because a wave antenna17 changes length based on the force exerted on its conductors, a waveantenna 17 will stretch if placed inside a tire 50 as the pressureinside the tire 50 rises. The wave antenna 17 can be designed so thatthe length of the wave antenna 17 only reaches a certain designatedlength to be capable of receiving signals at the operating frequency ofthe interrogation reader 20 when the tire 50 reaches a certaindesignated threshold pressure.

The process starts (block 70), and the interrogation reader 20 emits asignal 32 through the field 34 as discussed previously for operation ofthe interrogation reader 20 and wireless communication device 10illustrated in FIG. 1. The interrogation reader 20 checks to see if aresponse communication has been received from the wireless communicationdevice 10 (decision 74). If no response signal is received by theinterrogation reader 20 from the wireless communication device 10, theinterrogation reader 20 continues to emit the signal 32 through field 34in a looping fashion (block 72) until a response is received. Once aresponse is received by the interrogation reader 20 from the wirelesscommunication device 10 (decision 74), this is indicative of the factthat the wave antenna 17 coupled to the wireless communication device 10has stretched to a certain length so that the wave antenna's 17operating frequency is compatible with the operating frequency of theinterrogation reader 20 (block 76). The interrogation reader 20 canreport that the tire 50 containing the wireless communication device 10and wave antenna 17 has reached a certain threshold pressure Note thatthe wave antennas 17 may be any of the wave antennas 17 illustrated inFIGS. 2A-6L.

FIG. 10 illustrates one embodiment of a reporting system 77 that may beprovided for the interrogation reader 20. The interrogation reader 20may be coupled to a reporting system 77. This reporting system 77 may belocated in close proximity to the interrogation reader 20, and may becoupled to the interrogation reader 20 by either a wired or wirelessconnection. The reporting system 77 may be a user interface or othercomputer system that is capable of receiving and/or storing datacommunications received from an interrogation reader 20. Thisinformation may be any type of information received from a wirelesscommunication device 10, including but not limited to identificationinformation, tracking information, and/or environmental informationconcerning the wireless communication device 10 and/or its surroundings,such as pressure and temperature. The information may be used for anypurpose. For example, identification, tracking, temperature, forceand/or pressure information concerning a tire 50 during its manufacturemay be communicated to the reporting system 77 which may then be usedfor tracking, quality control, and supply-chain management. If theinformation received by the reporting system is not normal or proper,the reporting system 77 may control the manufacturing operations to stopand/or change processes during manufacture and/or alert personnel incharge of the manufacturing process.

The reporting system 77 may also communicate information received fromthe wireless communication device 10, via the interrogation reader 20,to a remote system 78 located remotely from the reporting system 77and/or the interrogation reader 20. The communication between thereporting system 77 and the remote system 78 may be through wiredcommunication, wireless communication, modem communication or othernetworking communication, such as the Internet. Alternatively, theinterrogation reader 20 may communicate the information received fromthe wireless communication device 10 directly to the remote system 78rather than first reporting the information through the reporting system77 using the same or similar communication mediums as may be usedbetween the reporting system 77 and the remote system 78.

FIG. 11 illustrates a method of manufacturing a wave antenna 17 andassembling of the wave antenna 17 to wireless communication devices 10for any type of wave antenna 17 illustrated in FIG. 2A-6L and discussedabove The process involves eight total steps Each of the steps islabeled in circled numbers illustrated in FIG. 11. The first step of theprocess involves passing an antenna 17 conductor wire or foil throughcogs 120 to create the alternating curves in the antenna conductor 17 toform the wave antenna 17. The cogs 120 are comprised of a top cog 120Aand a bottom cog 120B. The top cog 120A rotates clockwise, and thebottom cog 120B rotates counterclockwise Each cog 120A, 120B has aperiphery such that each of the cogs 120A, 120B interlock with eachother as they rotate. The cogs 120A, 120B are shaped to create thedesired wave antenna 17 shape As the antenna conductor 17 passes throughthe cogs 120A, 120B, alternating curves are placed in the antennaconductor 17 to form peaks 121 and valleys 122 in the antenna conductor17 to form the wave antenna 17

The second step of the process involves placing tin solder on portionsof the wave antenna 17 so that a wireless communication device 10 can besoldered and attached to the wave antenna 17 in a later step. Asoldering station 123 is provided and is comprised of a first tinningposition 123A and a second tinning position 123B. For every predefinedportion of the wave antenna 17 that passes by the soldering station 123,the first tinning position 123A and second tinning position 123B raiseupward to place tin solder on the left side of the peak 124A and anadjacent right side of the peak 124B so that the wireless communicationdevice 10 can be soldered to the wave antenna 17 in the third step ofthe process Please note that the process may also use glue, inductionwelding, or other suitable adhesive, instead of solder, to attach thewireless communication device 10 to the wave antenna 17.

The third step of the process involves attaching a wirelesscommunication device 10 to the wave antenna 17. A wireless communicationdevice is attached to the left side of the peak 124A and the right sideof the peak 124B at the points of the tin solder. An adhesive 126 isused to attach the leads or pins (not shown) of the wirelesscommunication device 10 to the tin solder, and solder paste is added tothe points where the wireless communication device 10 attaches to thetin solder on the wave antenna 17 to conductively attach the wirelesscommunication device 10 to the wave antenna 17. Note that when thewireless communication device 10 is attached to the wave antenna 17, thepeak remains on the wireless communication device 10 that causes a short128 between the two input ports (not shown) of the wirelesscommunication device 10 and the two wave antennas 17 coupled to thewireless communication device 10

The fourth step in the process involves passing the wirelesscommunication device 10 as connected to the wave antenna 17 through ahot gas re-flow soldering process well known to one of ordinary skill inthe art to securely attach the solder between the leads of the wirelesscommunication device 10 and the wave antenna 17

The fifth step in the process involves the well-known process ofcleaning away any excess solder that is unused and left over during theprevious soldering.

The sixth step in the process involves removing the short 128 betweenthe two wave antennas 17 left by the peak 124 of the wave antenna 17from the third step in the process. Depending on the type of wirelesscommunication device 10 and its design, the short 128 may or may notcause the wireless communication device 10 to not properly operate toreceive signals and re-modulate response signals. If the wirelesscommunication device 10 operation is not affected by this short 128,this step can be skipped in the process

The seventh step in the process involves encapsulating the wirelesscommunication device 10. The wireless communication device 10 istypically in the form of an RF integrated circuit chip that isencapsulated within a hardened, non-conductive material, such as aplastic or epoxy, to protect the inside components of the chip from theenvironment. An additional encapsulating material, such as epoxy, mayalso be added over the bonding points of the wireless communicationdevice 10 to the wave antenna 17 to add additional mechanical strainrelief.

The eighth and last step involves winding wireless communication devices10 as attached on the wave antenna 17 onto a reel 130. The wirelesscommunication devices 10 and wave antenna 17 are contained on a stripsince the wave antenna 17 conductor has not been yet cut. When it isdesired to apply the wireless communication device 10 and attached waveantenna 17 to a good, object, or article of manufacture, such as a tire50, the wireless communication device 10 and attached wave antenna 17can be unwound from the reel 130 and the wave antenna 17 conductor cutin the middle between two consecutive wireless communication devices 10to form separate wireless communication devices 10 and dipole waveantennas 17.

Please note that there are other methods of manufacturing the waveantenna 17 including using a computer numerical controller (CNC)machine. The manufacturing process may be like that of used for makingsprings. Also note that the wave antenna 17 discussed above andillustrated in FIG. 11 may be for any shaped wave antenna 17 previouslydiscussed.

FIG. 12 illustrates the short 128 left on the wireless communicationdevice 10 and polygonal-shaped wave antenna 17 as a tuning inductance.Some UHF wireless communication devices 10 operate best when a directcurrent (DC) short, in the form of a tuning inductance, is presentacross the wireless communication device 10 and, therefore, the processof removing the short 128 can be omitted. FIG. 12A illustrates analternative embodiment of the polygonal-shaped wave antenna 17 andwireless communication device 10 where an uneven cog 120 has been usedin step 1 of the process illustrated in FIG. 11 to produce an extendedloop short 128 across the wireless communication device 10. This givesthe required amount of inductance for best operation of the wirelesscommunication device 10 as the wave antenna 17 and the short 128 are inparallel

Note that the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 12 and discussed above mayalso be implemented with any polygonal, elliptical-curve, or coil-shapedwave antenna 17, including the polygonal, elliptical-curve, andcoil-shaped wave antennas 17 discussed above and illustrated in FIGS.2A-6L.

The embodiments set forth above represent the necessary information toenable those skilled in the art to practice the invention and illustratethe best mode of practicing the invention. Upon reading the precedingdescription in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilledin the art will understand the concepts of the invention and willrecognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressedherein. It should be understood that these concepts and applicationsfall within the scope of the disclosure and the accompanying claims.

It should be understood that the present invention is not limited toapplications involving a vehicle tire. It should also be understood thatthe present invention is not limited to any particular type ofcomponent, including but not limited to the wireless communicationdevice 10 and its components, the wave antenna 17, the interrogationreader 20 and its components, the pressure sensor 18, the temperaturesensor 19, the resonating ring 40, the tire 50 and its components, thereporting system 77, the remote system 78, the wheel 100 and itscomponents, the cogs 120, the soldering station 123, and the adhesive124. For the purposes of this application, couple, coupled, or couplingis defined as either a direct connection or a reactive coupling.Reactive coupling is defined as either capacitive or inductive coupling.The wave antenna 17 discussed in this application may be polygonal,elliptical-curve, or coil-shaped.

Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modificationsto the preferred embodiments of the present invention. All suchimprovements and modifications are considered within the scope of theconcepts disclosed herein and the claims that follow

1-31. (canceled)
 32. A method of manufacturing a polygonal-shaped waveantenna, comprising the steps of: passing a conducting foil through afirst cog and a second cog each having a polygonal-shaped periphery andplaced in a vertical plane with respect to each other wherein saidpolygonal-shaped periphery in each of said first cog and said second cogsubstantially interlock with each other as said first cog rotatesclockwise and said second cog rotates counterclockwise; and placingalternating curves in said conducting foil when said conducting foil ispassed through said first cog and said second cog.
 33. The method ofclaim 32, wherein said polygonal-shape is comprised from the groupconsisting of a square, a pentagon, a hexagon, a heptagon, an octagon, anonagon, and a decagon.
 34. A method of manufacturing a wirelesscommunication device that is coupled to a polygonal-shaped wave antenna,comprising the steps of: passing a conducting foil through a first cogand a second cog each having a polygonal-shaped periphery and placed ina vertical plane with respect to each other wherein each of said firstcog and said second cog substantially interlock with each other as saidfirst cog rotates clockwise and said second cog rotatescounterclockwise; placing alternating curves in said conducting foilwhen said conducting foil passes through said first cog and said secondcog to form a conducting foil having a plurality of curves that form aplurality of peaks separated by valleys; and soldering wirelesscommunication chips individually to each side of one of said pluralityof peaks using solder.
 35. The method of claim 34, further comprisingthe steps of: re-flow soldering said wireless communication chips withhot gas after said step of soldering; cleaning away said excess solderaway after said step of soldering; and removing a short formed acrosseach side of said plurality of peaks after said step of soldering;wherein said steps of reflow-soldering, cleaning away, and removing areperformed after said step of soldering.
 36. The method of claim 34,wherein said polygonal-shape is comprised from the group consisting of asquare, a pentagon, a hexagon, a heptagon, an octagon, a nonagon, and adecagon. 37-66. (canceled)
 67. A method of manufacturing an ellipticalcurve-shaped wave antenna, comprising the steps of: passing a conductingfoil through a first cog and a second cog each having an ellipticalcurve-shaped periphery and placed in a vertical plane with respect toeach other wherein said elliptical curve-shaped periphery in each ofsaid first cog and said second cog substantially interlock with eachother as said first cog rotates clockwise and said second cog rotatescounterclockwise; and placing alternating curves in said conducting foilwhen said conducting foil is passed through said first cog and saidsecond cog.
 68. A method of manufacturing a wireless communicationdevice that is coupled to an elliptical curve-shaped wave antenna,comprising the steps of: passing a conducting foil through a first cogand a second cog each having an elliptical curve-shaped periphery andplaced in a vertical plane with respect to each other wherein each ofsaid first cog and said second cog substantially interlock with eachother as said first cog rotates clockwise and said second cog rotatescounterclockwise; placing alternating curves in said conducting foilwhen said conducting foil passes through said first cog and said secondcog to form a conducting foil having a plurality of curves that form aplurality of peaks separated by valleys; and soldering wirelesscommunication chips individually to each side of one of said pluralityof peaks using solder.
 69. The method of claim 68, further comprisingthe steps of: re-flow soldering said wireless communication chips withhot gas after said step of soldering; cleaning away said excess solderaway after said step of soldering; and removing a short formed acrosseach side of said plurality of peaks after said step of soldering;wherein said steps of reflow-soldering, cleaning away, and removing areperformed after said step of soldering. 70-98. (canceled)
 99. A methodof manufacturing a coil-shaped wave antenna, comprising the steps of:passing a conducting foil through a first cog and a second cog eachhaving a coil-shaped periphery and placed in a vertical plane withrespect to each other wherein said coil-shaped periphery in each of saidfirst cog and said second cog substantially interlock with each other assaid first cog rotates clockwise and said second cog rotatescounterclockwise; and placing alternating curves in said conducting foilwhen said conducting foil is passed through said first cog and saidsecond cog.
 100. A method of manufacturing a wireless communicationdevice that is coupled to a coil-shaped wave antenna, comprising thesteps of: passing a conducting foil through a first cog and a second cogeach having coil-shaped periphery and placed in a vertical plane withrespect to each other wherein each of said first cog and said second cogsubstantially interlock with each other as said first cog rotatesclockwise and said second cog rotates counterclockwise; placingalternating curves in said conducting foil when said conducting foil ispasses through said first cog and said second cog to form a conductingfoil having a plurality of curves that form a plurality of peaksseparated by valleys; and soldering wireless communication chipsindividually to each side of one of said plurality of peaks usingsolder.
 101. The method of claim 100, further comprising the steps of:re-flow soldering said wireless communication chips with hot gas aftersaid step of soldering; cleaning away said excess solder away after saidstep of soldering; and removing a short formed across each side of saidplurality of peaks after said step of soldering; wherein said steps ofreflow-soldering, cleaning away, and removing are performed after saidstep of soldering.
 102. (canceled)